As New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary inched closer to a final outcome with the Board of Elections planning to release the next round of ranked-choice voting tallies on Tuesday, Progressive candidate Zohran Mamdani appeared to hold a strong lead over former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who conceded on election night but has yet to formally exit the race, according to a report published by The Associated Press.
Primary Race Poised to Be Decided
Mamdani claimed victory last week with a strong performance, but the ranked-choice voting system, under which voters rank as many as five candidates by preference, is not tabulated until it can be determined whether Mamdani has crossed over the crucial 50% threshold required to win the nomination outright, the report said.
If Mamdani breaks that record, he will go on to the November general election, running against incumbent Mayor Eric Adams and possibly Cuomo once more, should the former governor choose to run as an independent.
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A New Progressive Force
At the age of 33, Mamdani joined the race as a state Assembly member with an ambitious, populist agenda centered on reducing the cost of living. His campaign galvanised voters, shadowing Cuomo’s comeback bid in the aftermath of repercussions from a scandal surrounding sexual harassment that led to Cuomo’s resignation in 2021.
Mamdani’s platform includes free city buses, free childcare, rent freezes for those in rent-stabilised apartments, and government-run grocery stores funded by taxing the wealthy. While some critics have called these ideas unrealistic, Mamdani’s supporters see a fresh blueprint for the Democratic Party.
Mixed Reactions Within the Democratic Party
The Democratic establishment, however, remains cautious about fully backing Mamdani. His outspoken criticism of law enforcement, use of the term “genocide” to describe Israeli actions in Gaza, and self-identification as a “democratic socialist” have raised eyebrows among some party leaders.
If elected, Mamdani would make history as New York City’s first Muslim mayor and first mayor of Indian-American origin, as well as one of the youngest.
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Republicans Seize On Mamdani’s Rise
Republicans have already begun painting Mamdani as a poster boy for “leftist excess.” President Donald Trump and others in the GOP believe his candidacy provides an opportunity to compare Democratic policies unfavourably with their own.
“If I’m Republican, I want this guy to win,” Syracuse University political science professor Grant Reeher said, according to The Associated Press, adding, “Because I want to be able to compare and contrast my campaign as a Republican, in a national election, to the idea of, ‘This is where the Democratic party is.'”
Cuomo’s Uncertain Future
Cuomo, who seemingly relied on his experience, has not withdrawn his name from the November ballot and still appears undecided on a run as an independent. He refused to admit wrongdoing in the harassment scandal, describing it as politically driven.
Meanwhile, Mayor Eric Adams, who ran as an independent after dropping out of the Democratic primary, has reopened his reelection bid, casting the race as one between “blue collar” leadership and a “silver spoon” challenger.
